Overall I think Valentine’s day is a great excuse to show your appreciation for those you love, although I do think that this should be done as often as possible. Having said that, I thought about spending Valentine’s day with my husband (only) because I know that Emma is too young to really remember. But knowing myself, I wouldn’t be able to bear the fact that I didn’t spend a Holiday with my daughter, so I chose to spend it with both (Yes, I know, am I am extremely attached to my daughter and I recognize that eventually Emma will choose not to spend a Holiday with us and I hope that I am emotionally prepared for that).
I also hate going out on Valentine’s day because restaurants are crowded and overpriced. I’ve done it in the past and I don’t think it’s worth it. Besides, since I wanted to celebrate it with Emma, I spared every couple who was trying to have a romantic evening my toddler’s tantrums and sporadic behavior and decided to stay home.
Valentine’s day –
In the morning we gave Emma some chocolates – which she can’t get enough of – and Monsters, Inc. stickers since she loves the movie. We opted not to give her toys since she already has more than enough. I also bought her friends some heart-shaped lollipops and her teachers some chocolates and told her that she should hand them out in appreciation for their friendship, to which she responded, “I’m going to eat them all.” I guess I would want to eat them too if I wasn’t and adult and hence so self-conscious about the calories. Since Emma is practicing the letter V and has a friend named Valentina, on our way to school I told her that Valentina and Valentine’s day started with the same letter so she kept saying that it was Valentine’s day like Valentina – I am sure that I managed to confuse her and she will probably call the day “Valentina day” from now on.
After work, I rushed to pick up Emma from school. When she came out, she showed me a heart that she made and told me that is was for me and daddy (Naturally, I took possession of it without my husband’s consent and took it to work this week so that I could constantly look at it and smile).
After that I took Emma to Starbucks. I wanted us to sit down and have a cup of hot chocolate together since we are usually always running to catch the bus. She loved it and felt like a big girl, which is a big hit among toddlers.
We then headed home to a home cooked dinner by my husband.
He made Emma her favorite – macaroni and cheese and we had some shrimp, salmon and steak with a side dish of mashed potatoes. Yum! Emma wanted all of us to sit at her table, which is tiny, so my husband and I were uncomfortable but these are the kind of things parents do for their kids…. I sat on a sheep chair that Emma has, Emma sat on her “art” chair and my husband was on the floor. At one point, Emma stopped eating, put her spoon down and walked away from the table only to go grab her Dora chair and bring it to her dad so he could also have a seat. Of course, this melted our hearts and there is no way my husband will say no to her now; not that he ever did before…
After dinner we watched Beauty and the Beast (movie night). Emma wanted the three of us to dance every time the music came on, which was actually great because we did a bit of exercise after having such a huge – but delicious – meal. My husband then gave me a paper bag and told me my gift was inside… I assumed it was chocolates, which I love, but was really surprised to find a ring! A couple of months ago, I bought some really trendy rings from H&M and I mentioned to him that I wished I had one of them in real gold, because it was simple and beautiful and would last me longer. Somehow he remembered I said this and got the ring made for me for Valentine’s day! I was definitely thrown off because for the past couple of years we have kept Valentine’s day low-key and unless we directly ask each other for a specific gift in advance, we just give each other thoughtful but small things. The best part of his gift was the card he gave both Emma and I. The card was very short and to the point – but what he wrote really touched my heart. I will definitely be saving it for Emma to keep when she is older.
We all had an amazing Valentine’s day – most of all because we spent it together. I couldn’t have had it any other way.
P.S. In honor of Valentine’s day I also cooked for my family (hubby, parents and siblings) on Sunday and made my first attempt at making lasagna. I followed a recipe and it turned out pretty good. It took a long time to make but it was Emma approved, which was worth the effort. However, I definitely don’t plan to make another one anytime soon. I also know that this post is very late, but having an active toddler, sometimes I just can’t find the time to do anything…
Mommyhood by Sandra 